Container extension



Sept. 7, 1954 R CARTER 2,588,4111;

CONTAINER EXTENSION Filed Aug. 22, 1952 JNVENTGR:

EAR 275a.

Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER EXTENSION Richard H. Carter, Fostoria, Ohio, assignmto Fostoria Pressed Steel Corporation, Fostoria, 011K153; corporation of Ohio Application August 22, 1952, Serial No. 305,779

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for extending the sides of containers to increase their capacity. More particularly it deals with an extension for containers which have an open end, such as for example tin cans, paint cans, etc, whereby the extension fits in the open end of the container and extends the side walls of the container above and beyond its open end.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, efficient, effective and economical extension for open ended containers, which extension is readily removable for use on any one of a number of similar containers.

Another object of this invention is to provide a removable container extension which forms a fluid tight seal with the container on which it is used. p

I Another object is to provide a removable fluid tight joint for an extension which will fit any one of a number of container openings that may be of slightly diiierent size such as due to variance in similar containers made by different manufacturers or from difierent dies. I

Another object is to provide a fluid tight extension for a paint can which may be easily fitted to the can so that the contents of the can, even though full, may be supplemented by the addition of a solvent or pigment or other liquid without changing the paint into a larger container for such mixing or blending purposes.

Another object is to provide a container ex tender with a cover or lid, and/or with a pouring guide or pouring aperture and brush scraper device, particularly adapted for the convenience of painters.

Another object is to provide an improved and more universally adaptable extension device over that of my prior co-pending application Serial No. 273,227 filed February 25, 1952.

Generally speaking, the container extension device of this invention comprises a tubular member open at both ends; one end of which is provided with an outwardly opening and inwardly indented peripheral groove into which goove there is held a plastic material which acts as a fluid tight sealing means and a friction attaching means between one end of the device and the opening of the container to which the device is to be applied. The sides of the groove maintain the plastic material attached to the device, so that when the device is removed by pulling from one container to be placed onto another, the plastic'ring will not stick to the opening of the first container. The friction and sealing engaging surface of the plastic ring of material is made tapering or bevelled so that it can be wedged into fluid tight contact with the edge of the opening of any container having an opening varying in diameter within the limits of the smaller and larger outside diameters of the bevelled surface of the plastic ring. The other and outer end of the tubular extension may be provided with a cover or lid so that the container on which the extension is placed may be firmly closed to the atmosphere when the extension is attached to it. For the convenience of painters in using the device of this invention on paint cans, a segment plate may be fastened inside the tubular extension near said other or outer end, which segment may be provided with a central peripheral aperture as a pouring guide for the liquid in the container and the inner chord edge of the segment may be used by the painter as a scraper for his paint brush.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaiiiing them are given more specific disclosure in the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which: I Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one embodiment of the extension device of this invention shown in engagement with the upper open end of a paint can;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the device shown in Fig. '1 with parts thereof broken away to show the pouring guide and brush scraper member therein;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section (similar to Fig. 1) of one part of the plastic sealing ring of the extension device as it may form a fluid tight seal with container openings with different types of edges and with slightly varying diameters; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an extension device according to this invention shown in place on a paint can, which extension has a relatively greater capacity than that of the extension shown in Fig. 1 and is shown without the segment or cover.

Referring to the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 2 and 3 of the drawing, the specific extension device Ill shown is to be made of rigid sheet material comprising a tubular body portion having substantially cylindrical sides or walls H and being openat both ends. One and the lower end shown in Fig. 1 is provided with a groove l2 which may be formed by an inwardly turned flange l3 which may form a shoulder inside the device and extendingfrom the edge M of the flange [3, a downwardly and outwardly tapered lip portion [5. Thus a V-shaped groove I2 is formed which opens outwardly having as its sides the flange l3 and lip l5. 7

In the groove I2 is held an annulus or ring 20 of ore-molded plastic material, which preferably is elastic and unaffected by solvents, such as a synthetic elastorner. Thus the outwardly ex' tending lip l5 and the inherent elasticity of the ring 20 maintains it in the groove [2. This plastic ring 20 may have a triangular cross section, so that two of its annular surfaces intimately contact the sides l3 and [5 of the groove, but the third or outer annular surface 2| is bevelled forming a conical taper, so it may wedge into a fluid tight contact and fastening friction engagement with the inner edge of the container into which the extension device is to be used.

Fig. 1 shows the top open end of a paint-type can 30 having a press-on lid groove 3 I, the inner open edge 32 of the opening inside said groove 3| being the edge against which the tapered surface 2| of the plastic annulus fits and wedges to make a fluid tight seal between the can 30 and the extension ID. This type of extension also keeps the liquid or contents of the can 30 from entering the can groove 3|, so that when the extension is pulled ofi or removed, the original lid of the can 30 can again be placed easily and tightly on the can. The tapered annular surface Zl of the plastic annulus also has the ad'- vantage of fitting cans having slightly varying openings, which is the case for cans of the same contents but made by different manufacturers and/or by different dies. Thus with the present device, the size for a gallon paint can will fit the opening of gallon paint cans of all manufacturers in the United States, which difier as much as about a quarter of an inch in diameter from the largest to the smallest. This difference in diameter of openings is shown in Fig. 3 for the edges 33 and 34 of two other types of container openings, the ring 20 fitting down farther in the larger opening 33 than in the smaller opening 34. Since the junction sealing ring, gasket or washer 20 of the device of this invention is preferably made of an elastic or rubbery material, a fluid tight joint is insured between the varius difierent type and size openings of the containers within the range for which the extension is made.

Referring to the other, upper or outer end of extension member I 0, there may be provided a slight upwardly and outwardly conical flare to the walls ll and/or an outwardly off-set portion 40 of larger diameter, which may terminate in a crimped over, rounded off or beaded edge portion 4| to give more rigidity to the device. Resting on the shoulder 42 between the wall portion II and the off-set portion 40, may be fastened a segment member 50, having downwardly extending flanges 52 which rest on the shoulder 42 and which may be soldered or spot welded as at 53 to the portion 40. Central of the periphery of the segment 50, an arcuate aperture or opening 54 may be provided for guiding the liquid contents of the container when it is poured from the container and its attached extension I0. The chord edge 55 of the segment 50 may be provided with a downwardly extending flange 56 which may act both as a retaining edge for the liquid when it is being poured from the container as well as a scraper for the brush of the painter, if the device is used by a painter. A cover 60 may be provided for the upper outer open end of the extension [0. Since the depth of flanges 52 are materially less than the depth of the off-set portion 40, there is sufiicient room above the segment 50 for the placement of a cover 60 of the press-on type within the offset portion 40. This cover thus may have an upwardly extending stepped flange 6| for engaging the inside of the beaded portion 4| of the 4 extension and may be provided with a rim 63 for its easy removal. The central portion of the cover or lid 60 may be slightly bowed or domed as shown in Fig. 1 to give it rigidity. In some instances the original cover for the paint can may also fit the top of the extension, but since the covers of all the paint cans of one given capacity differ slightly, a detachable cover 60 is preferably provided with each extension device, which cover is made solely to fit tightly and properly on the extension, so that when the extension is in place on a container, the combination of the container and extension can be covered tightly with a lid, to prevent loss or contamination of the contents of the extended container.

Although the average extension for paint cans need not increase the volume of the can more than about 30 or 40%, larger capacity extensions may be providedas shown at 10 in Fig. 4 which about doubles the capacity of the container 30. Fig. 4 also shows that the extension device of this invention also may be used without a segment as segment 50 or without a lid or cover as cover 60.

The principle of this invention is applicable also for extension devices of other configurations than cylindrical as shown herein, or having lower grooved flanges for the plastic material of other configurations than a circle to fit other than circular openings of containers. The extension is preferably made of metal, such as sheet steel, and may be painted or coated to prevent rust, just as paint cans are, and also may contain advertizing matter on its outer surface for the use of the proprietor or manufacturer distributing the device.

While there is described above the principles of this invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A tubular extension for rigid containers having a circular open end, comprising: an open cylindrical portion having an inwardly projecting flange at one end thereof, a downwardly flaring lip extending from the inner edge of said flange providing a annular groove opening exteriorly and outwardly of said extension, and a resilient plastic ring member in said groove completely covering said lip and having an outer downwardly tapered surface ranging in outside diameter from smaller than the inside diameter of the open end of a normal sized container to which it is to be attached to greater than said inside diameter, whereby a detachable fluid tight seal may be obtained by wedging said extension into said open end of said container to increase the capacity of said container.

2. An extension according to claim 1 wherein said groove is V-shaped and said plastic ring member is of substantially triangular radial cross section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 505,364 MacIntosh Sept. 19, 1893 621,601 Conley Mar. 21, 1899 2,124,929 Reid July 26, 1938 2,197,766 Mueller Apr. 23. 1940 2,240,101 Smith Apr. 29, 1941 2,275,305 Morgan Mar. 3, 1942 2,614,723 Welden Oct. 21, 1952 

